Emergency lift-latch.



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.'

F. J. LE BEAU.

EMERGENCY LIFT LATCH.

APPLICATION man MAR. 7, 191.7.

lllllllll/lllllllllllllllllllullllllllllllllIl F.1`. LE BEAU.

EMERGENCY LIFT LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I. 1917.

Patented Jan. 8,

`z EETS-SHBET 2.

FERNANDO J'. LE BEAU, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A SSIGNOB, OF CNE-HALF TO FREDERICK LUNDIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EMERGENCY LIFT-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 8, 1918.

Application filed March 7, 1917, Serial No. 152,983.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FERNANDO J. Ln BEAU, aL citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Emergency Lift-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to latches or catches applicable to the lower portion of a door to, in proper position, engage the floor itself or a member placed thereon to secure the door in locked position. rIhe object of the invention is to provide means through which such a latch is prevented from extending below the surface of the lower edge of the door with possible injury to the floor over which the door swings, except when the door is in closed or locked position, in whichposition the latch device is located 2in normal operative position below the edge of the door. The device is especially useful in cases where no threshold plate is .used under a door.

This invention consists broadly in mounting the entire latch upon a carriage slidable vertically with reference to the door, in combination with automatic meansby which the carriage is retained in such a position that the latch device locks the door when the door is closed, while in all other positions the latch mechanism is automatically lifted bodily to a point where the latch cannot possibly injure the floor over which the door swings. The invention is especially valuable in the case of emergency fire exit doors swinging over line Mosaic floors which would be seriously damaged by a sharp pointed latch dragging over the floor.

The invention further consists in the features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar numerals indicate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 illustrates an emergency exit door of the general type shown in United States patent to E. A. Freed, Number 992,554, dated May 16th, 1911, having a form of the device of this invention specially adapted for use therewith applied thereto, the front or movable plate of the door being removed, and the parts being in,

the position which they assume when the door is unlatched either open or opening.

Fig. 2 is a changed position view, corresponding to Fig. 1, showing the door closed and locked or latched.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the latch mechanism taken on the line 3 of Figs. 1 and 4f.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view taken on the line lof Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the door with the latch mechanism in the position assumed in Fig. 1, the same being' taken on the line 5 of that figure. Y

Fig'. 6 is a changed position view of the parts shown in Fig. 5, taken on the line G, of Fig. 2.

The device of this invention is applicable to almost any sort of a door, but because it is especially applicable to emergency exit doors, it is shown in the drawings applied inside of a door of the type of the Freed patent, heretofore referred to.

The body of the door comprises a rear wall l() inclosed by side and bottom flanges 12, 13 and 14, the latter terminating in a relatively narrow inwardly pointed face flange 16, parallel to back l0, all as shown in the drawings. Loosely mounted inside this body just described, adapted for movement toward and from the rear wall 10 and retained against outward movement by the flange 16, is the front plate 18, spring pressed outward by any suitable sort of spring devices, as for instance the springs 20, inclosing telescoping bolts 21 and 22. As in the Freed patent, the door is so mounted that the plate 10 faces the room from which emergency exit is to be effected so that a person in the room can, byvpressing upon any part of the plate 18, manipulate the latch mechanism of the door and permit the door to open.

The particular form of latch mechanism with which this invention is concerned is, for purposes of convenience, mounted upon a relatively small back plate 26 rigidly connected by any suitable means, as for inst-ance through holes 28, to the lower outer swinging corner of door plate 10. Extending forward from this back plate 26 are two parallel U-shaped supports 30 spaced apart as shown for the reception between them of a carriage 34 mounted upon rods 36 and 3S, .extending through supports 3 0 so to slide,

vertically thereon with reference to the door. In the particular ease here illustrated, the rod 36 is secured rigid with reference to lugs 40 on the adjacent side of the carriage 34 by cotter pins 42, while rod 38 is secured rigid on its adjacent support 30 by .any suitable means, as for instance by pins 44, but this dierence in fastening the reds is not in any way material. The rod 38 is, as clearly shown in Fi-gs. 1 and 2, made to eX- tend substantially above the adjacent support 30, and is provided with a coiled spring 46 bearing against a stationary collar 48 on the opposite end ot the rod 38, and against the flange 40 on the carriage so that this spring can move the carriage 34 downward; thus, in the absence of other mechanism, driving the latch dog 50,-supported by the carriage, into the recess 52 in the licor 54 and door sill 56 over which, the door swings.

This latch dog 50 is pivoted at 58 between opposite side walls of the carriage 34 and is adapted to swing between the position shown in full lines and a position slightly beyond the dotted line position of Fig; 6, and viceversa. This latch Vdog 50l is retained in the full line position by a locking plate 60 pivoted at 62 and pressed outward to the full line position of Fig. 6 by spring 64 placed inside the carriage 34, as shown, the outer end of the spring being housed inside of a lug or knob 66 of such a size, shape and position that it is engageable by the front pressure plate 18 of the door so that pressure onthe door will move this'knob-66 from the full line position of Fig. 6 to and beyond the dotted line position of that figure, to release the latch 50 and thus unlock the door. The details of the carriage, latch, and locking plate'are all the subject-matter of the specification and claims et my companion application filed herewith, Serial Number 152,982.

lli/*hen the latch dog 56 is held rigidly in place in the full line position oi' Fig. 6, the carriage 34 with latch dog 50 attached is essentially a rigid.l plunger bolt or lockingv latch slidable with reference to the supports 30. This rigid plunger bolt is normally held in the raised position oi Figs. l, 4 and 5 by a lever mechanism comprising a link 70 pivoted at one end at 72 to the lower side of the carriage 34, and pivotally connected at its other end at 74 to a lever 76 pivoted to plate 26 at 7 8, there beingrigidly extending from this lever' 7 6 an arm 80, controlled byv a retractile spring 82 attached to the plate 26 at 84. The spring 82 is stronger than the spring 46, heretofore described, so that normally the parts are held by the spring` 82 in the position of the igures last named.

f Link 70 is provided with an elongated slot 7 9 for pivot pin 74, thus allowing reciprocation of the bolt mechanism proper upward agamst the action of spring 46 during the time the parts are in the position of Fig. 2 or, more particularly, as the parts are approaching that position in the actof closthe door closes, all/ol' the parts move from the position of Fig. 1 to thatloi' Fig. 2, wherein the carriage 34 is depressed and the latch 50 enters locking recess 52 and thus secures the door as shown.

Suppose now the parts are in the position of Figs. 2 to 6 and that a person on the inside of the room controlled by the door presses upon plate 18. The pressure on this pla-te 18 causes the plate to move inward and thus move locking member 60 from its full line position oi Fig. 6 toward the dotted line position of that ligure.l A.

slight movement of this plate 60 releases latch 50 whereupon the latch begins to swing upward toward the dotted line position ot Fig. 6 and the whole door begins to swing from the full line to the dotted line position of that figure, and thence on beyoud the dotted line position until finally the latch member 50 entirely clears Vthe door sill 56 and the door is in the act of swinging to fully open position, but

vthe act of starting to open the door also releases the end 90 of rod 86 in the door frame 92, with the result that spring 82 acts to raise the carriage and the latch from the position ofV Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 1. In practice, the raising motion of the spring 82 combines with the motions described in connection with Fig. 6 sothat by the time latch 50 has passed oli from door Vsill 56, it is safely elevated above the Hoor it not actually in the position of Fig. 1, vwith the result that there is no possibility otk the Y combination with a door and its frame, a y

bolt adapted to pass below the edge of the door into the iioor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism bodily reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, means mounting the bolt for reciprocation in said carriage7 mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, and mechanism operatab-le only as the door approaches closed position automatically depressing the carriage with bolt attached to the vposition wherein the bolt is in normal position for locking the door.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its iframe, a bolt adapted to pass below the edge oi the door into the floor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, vmechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door. and mechanism engaging 'the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engagev the frame of the door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so that the bolt is in normal position for locking the door to the floor during the time that the door is closed.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its frame, a bolt adapted to pass below .the edge `of the door into the floor to lock it, a carriage Jfor the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door`r mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt.

mechanism attached in such a` position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, and a rod engaging the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engage the frame of the door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so'that the bolt is in normal position for locking thedoor to the lioor during the time that the door is closed.

4L. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its frame, a bolt adapted to passbelow the edge of the door into the floor to lock` it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding` the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the iloor in all positions of the door, mechanism operatable only as the door approaches closed position automatically depressing the carriage with bolt attached to the position wherein the bolt is in normal position for locking the door and a flexible connection between the carriage elevating mechanism and the carriage permitting independent reciprocation of the carriage and bolt.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its frame, a bolt adapted to pass below the edge of the door into the floor to look it a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and rfrom the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, mechanism engaging the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engage the frame ofthe door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so that the bolt is in normal position for locking the door to the floor during the time that the door is closed, and a flexible connection between the carriage elevating mechanism and the carriage permitting independent reciprocation of the carriage and bolt. p

6. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its frame, a

door into the ioor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt. mechanism attached in such a position that th-e bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, a rod engaging` the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engage the frame of the door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so that the bolt is in normal position for locking the door to the floor during the time that the door is closed, and a flexible connection between the carriage elevating mechanism and the carriage permitting indelpeiliident reciprocation of the carriage and 7. In a device of the class described7 in combination with a door and its frame, a bolt adapted to pass below the edge of the door into vthe floor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the loorin all positions of the door, mechanism operatable only as the door approaches closed position antomatically depressing the carriage with bolt attached to the position wherein the bolt is in normal position for locking the door, a flexible connection between the carriage elevating mechanism and the carriage permitting` independent reciprocation of the can riage and bolt, and spring means tending to so move the carriage mechanism outward from the door.

8. In a device of the class described, in combination with ak door and its frame7 a bolt adapted to pass below the edge of the door into the floor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocatable to and from the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding the carriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, mechanism engaging the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engage the frame ofthe door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so that the bolt is in normal position for locking the door tothe Hoor during the time that the door is closed, a flexible connection between the carriage elevating mechanism and the carriage permitting independent reciprocation of the carriage and bolt, andY spring means tending` to so move the carriage mechanism outward from the door 9. In a device of the class described, in combination with a door and its frame, a bolt adapted to pass below the edge of the door into the oor to lock it, a carriage for the bolt mechanism reciprocable to and from the bottom of the door, mechanism normally holding the vcarriage with bolt mechanism attached in such a position that the bolt entirely clears the floor in all positions of the door, a rod engaging the carriage elevating mechanism adapted to engage the frame of the door as the door approaches closed position to move the carriage so that the bolt is in normal position for locking the door to the ioor during the time that the door is closed, a flexible connection between the carriage elevatin@ mechanism and the carriage vpermitting independent reciprocation of the carriage and bolt, and spring means tending to so move the carriage mechanism outward from the'door.

10. In a' device of the class described, in

lcombination with a swinging door, ya reciprocatable bolt near one edge thereof nor-.

mally engaging the floor to lock the door, a carriage for the bolt and its mechanism reciprocatable to move on the door from a posi tion in which the bolt is in locking engagement with the floor to a position where the bolt entirely clears the floor under all conditions of movement of the bolt and door, a lever mechanism mounted on the door and connectedto the bolt carriage for producing reciprocatory movement of the bolt carriage, a springv engaging said lever mechanism adapted to hold the carriage in elevated position, and a rod connected at one end to the lever mechanism having its other end adapted for engagement with the edge of the door frame when the door is closed, and to clear it at other' times, the parts being so proportioned that the act of closing the door causes said -lever mechanism tol move contrary to its controlling spring to depress Vthe carriage until the bolt is lin the normal position for lookin the door.

11. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a door and a door frame, a rcciprocatable plunger bolt carried by the door and movable into engagement with the door frame, a pivoted latch on the end of the plunger bolt engaging the door frame, releasable means for holding the pivoted latch normally rigid withl reference to the bolt proper, and mechanism connected tothe bolt normally holding the bolt retracted from the frame and operatable by engaging a portion of the door frame remote from the lbolt automatically forcing the bolt into engagement with the frame when the door closes.

12. In a device of the class described, thel combination of a door member, a carriage slidable up and down toward the-bottom thereof, means normally pressingthe carriage toward said bottom, a latch member pivotally mounted on the carriage and normally projecting from the bottom ofy the door, means locking said last member in rigid position with refrocate said carriage with latch attached up and downl with reference to the bottom of the door, spring mechanism, stronger thanA -sald` first mentioned means, normally press-- ing said carriage toward the bottom of the door, adapted to hold the carriage and latch member in such a position that the latch v member is substantially above the floor,

mechanism operatable only as the door is completely closed, moving said carriage downward against the action of the last mentioned spring mechanism so that the latch device engages the floor to `lock the door, and means permitting independent reciprocation of the carriage under control of the first spring, for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereuntov subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. V A

' FERNARDO J. LE BEAU.

Witnesses:

DWIGHT B. CHEEvERf, M. S. RosENZwEIG.

Copies of this ypatent mayl bey obtainedv for five cents each, by addressing thev Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. C. 

